Enjoy Bankruptcy, Ohio

The state of Ohio this past Tuesday voted to reject the elimination of collective bargaining for public employees. The reason behind the initiative was that benefit and compensation plans collectively bargained by public sector employees, not to mention union employment rules, have played a significant role in the large budget deficit facing the state. Unionization is an antiquated concept. They began in this county with the industrial age when there was scant regulation for employers and not much competition for labor. These conditions no longer exist and for every employee that is helped by union contracts there are many others hurt by them. Being an exemplary employee no longer matters because there’s no point when your compensation is preordained by collective bargaining and not related to your effort. Public sector unions are even more pointless, there are no conditions within the United States in which government employees at any level are mistreated in a way that justifies a labor union. There is no explanation for union necessity in the modern United States other than adding an unaccountable layer of management.

Two primary reasons were attributed to the failure of the Ohio initiative. The first was an orchestrated advertising campaign costing tens of millions of dollars financed by public sector unions. Without collective bargaining there is reason for a union to exist, the unions were simply protecting their very existence. The ad campaign was contemptible frightening citizens by making promises of increased crime and home destruction because of reduced Police and Firefighting services. This illustrates the reason why collective bargaining should not be permitted for public employees, their union agents will not hesitate to coerce voters with thinly veiled threats. The fact is that the initiative included no reductions in employment for neither police nor firefighters. And it’s laughable to think that secure public employees will flee to the uncertain private sector en masse faced with the types of benefit changes that would still be larger than that within the private sector.

The second reason given was the relative unpopularity of Republican Governor John Kasich who in recent weeks has been described as cantankerous in the face of attacks on the initiative. This is a difficult concept to analyze but it is often said that conservative principals require someone with an optimistic disposition. It’s just about impossible for anyone to remain optimistic when faced with nearly constant criticisms, especially of the type applied towards conservative ideas and politicians. Following months of attacks on his character and the initiative, it’s difficult to blame Governor Kasich for showing signs of irritation. The money spent by unions was used effectively to craft a narrative that was difficult to counter and the Governor was derided in many different and personal ways.

It will always be difficult to run against free lunches. And it will always be difficult to run against favorable public services. These facts don’t cloud the fact that collective bargaining raises the cost of labor and it can be argued that it is unfair for public employees to enjoy benefits greater than their counterparts in the private sector because the government does not aggressively bargain with unions. Ohio has an enormous budget deficit that will not dissipate with good intentions. The voters of Ohio spoke, against a measure meant to save their system and maintain current levels of employment demonized as mean-spirited. That vote did not change the fact that the system is unsustainable and was the equivalent of a vote towards insolvency.